Curry leaves

Curry leaves are as important to Asian food as bay leaves are to European food, but never try to substitute one for the other. Curry leaves, either fresh or dried, are usually the first ingredient added to the small amount of oil in which a dish is to be cooked, and the fragrance and flavour are unmistakable.

Health Tips: Apart from cooking, the curry leaf has a number of medicinal uses also. It is an essential ingredient of almost all traditional medicine systems of peninsular India, sometimes with amazingly good results. Unani, Ayurveda and other systems use it to cure ailments such as piles, to allay heat of the body and are useful in leucoderma and blood disorders, and this has been proven by experts of western medicine also. In India, the curry leaf is used to prevent conditions such as nausea and stomach upsets. It is also used in treating skin irritations and poisonous bites. Its oils are invaluable as repellants and to cure skin disorders common to the tropics.

Other Languages:
Burma: pyi-naw-thein
India: meetha neem, karipattar, karuvepillay
Malaysia: daun kari, karupillay
Sri Lanka: karapincha

Dalchini

Dalchini commonly known as Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. Cinnamon has a warm, sweet and amiable aroma that is delicate yet intense. The taste is also aromatic, warm and sweet with hints of clove and citrus. Ground bark is immediately aromatic, whereas the quills have a tendency to hide their aromatic properties until broken or cooked in a liquid.

Health Tips: It has haemostatic properties. It is especially effective in uterine bleeding.Its beleived that cinnamon helps reduce the blood sugar levels and increase the natural production of insulin. It also helps to lower the blood cholesterol levels. It helps in reducing the LDL (known as the bad cholesterol) but not reducing levels of HDL, the good cholesterol.

Other Languages:
Burma: thit-ja-boh-gauk
India: darchini
Indonesia: kayu manis
Malaysia: kayu manis
Sri Lanka: kurundu
Thailand: ob chuey
Vietnam: que

Kala Chana

Kala Chana also commonly known as Black Chick Peas or Small Dark Garbanzos. These beans retain their shape and are therefore desirable in a salad or are lightly sautéed and mixed with fresh diced onions, minced cilantro and lime juice as a side dish. Chick peas can be cooked with or without salt, sautéed in garlic butter, or with mayonnaise and lightly cooked vegetables to make a delicious salad.

Health Tips: It is often used as an alternative protein product with vegetarians and vegans and is one of the plants with the highest amount of protein. Chickpeas are a good source of zinc, folate and protein. They are also very high in dietary fiber and thus are a healthy food source, especially as a source of carbohydrates for persons with insulin sensitivity or diabetes. They are low in fat, and most of the fat content is polyunsaturated.

Sweet Corn Soup

Serving Size: 4 people

Ingredients :

• 1 cup cooked sweet corn
• 2 spring onions
• 8 to 10 French beans
• 1 small carrot
• small pinch of ajinomoto powder
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoon cornflour
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter ( ghee)
• salt to taste

Recipe:

1. Cut carrot, French beans and spring onions with green after that boil it well.
   
2. Heat butter in a pan , add spring onions, then stir a while then add the corn and cup of water then add ajinomoto powder ,sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Mix cornflour with half cup of water and bring to a boil and put in the pan
4. Just before serving add onions,carrot and beans.
5. Serve hot

Spring Roll

Serving size: 4 people

Ingredients :

• 1 cup green moong sprouted
• 2 cup cabbage sliced thin
• 2 carrot long thin slice
• 2 onions long thin slice
• 2 capsicum long thin slice
• 1 teaspoon soya sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ajinomoto powder
• 6 teaspoon oil
• salt to taste
• 2 cup maida ( all purpose flour)
• water
  

Recipe:

1. Take maida,salt,oil and mix it with water to make it hard dough .
2. Boil the water and put the sprouted moong and remove after 5 min .
3. Heat oil then put onions, capsicum and fry it well after that add rest all vegetables,sprouted green moong ,ajinomoto powder, salt and then fry for 2 min in high flame .
4. Then add soya sauce mix it well a remove from fire .
5. After that make roti from dough fill these stuffing into it and roll it after that deep fry or u can bake it .
6. Cut into pieces and serve with chilli sauce